


Silence

by angstyelephant



Series: The Knights of Gotham [5]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Bruce Wayne is Batman, Cassandra Cain is Batgirl, Constructive Criticism Welcome, DC Comics References, Damian Wayne is Robin, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, I don't know what canon is and frankly I do not care, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Metropolis (DCU), Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Not beta read we die like robins, Stream of Consciousness, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Tim Drake-centric, lots of references to different issues, there's a team up in metropolis and the bats got their asses kicked, tim drake is tired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:28:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25274695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstyelephant/pseuds/angstyelephant
Summary: In which Tim Drake listens to the quiet.
Relationships: Batfamily Members & Other(s), Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne
Series: The Knights of Gotham [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/614036
Comments: 4
Kudos: 52
Collections: the batman family





	Silence

**Author's Note:**

> Events mentioned are not canon compliant and I really like messing with story arcs, such as: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Batman R.I.P., Final Crisis, Blackest Night, The Death of Superman, Death in the Family, Batman: War Games, Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day, Nightwing #30, Emerald Twilight, Batman Inc #8, and Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13, among others. I also screwed with the following universes: Young Justice, Earth-Prime, Prime Earth, and New Earth, among others probably.
> 
> Constructive criticism is always appreciated!

Tim quite liked the silence of a post-mission Batcave. He was seated on a cardiac chair in the Infirmary getting his heart rate down to a normal resting rate, Bruce had gone up to the study, and Dick, Damian, and Cass had already gone to their rooms for the night. For the most part, he was alone in the peace and quiet of the cave, the only sounds coming from the various machines in the Infirmary, the whirring of the central heating system, and the faint dinging of the Batcomputer on the other side of the cave. 

The Supers in Metropolis needed help with Lex Luthor again, forcing five Bats, two Lanterns, three Flashes, and one Wonder Woman to take him down. The dynamics of the fight meant that the Bats came away with the worst injuries; despite it, it wasn’t too bad of a mission. Grodd and Reverse-Flash managed to get away with Luthor, but Cheetah, Livewire, Killer Frost, Killer Croc, Captain Cold, Riddler, and Bane were back in Belle Reve or Blackgate, whichever was more applicable. 

Riddler had socked Tim in the face on the roof of the Daily Planet, giving him a very painful broken nose and a bruised cheekbone, before kicking him off. Thank goodness Diana was in the vicinity to catch him before he went splat. 

As Tim iced his broken ribs and wiped off the dried blood from his face, he couldn’t help but think about the injuries his immediate family sustained. 

Dick landed on his ass and cracked his tailbone after Bane interrupted his somersault. He also had a concussion from being thrown into a brick wall and deep scratches along his neck and chest from Cheetah. Damian was trying to be a prat and catch a falling Jon after he was knocked out mid-air by Killer Frost, and managed to break three bones in his arm, his collarbone, and four ribs. Cass had pulled her hamstring and shattered her right hand trying to land a final blow on Cold, but still managed to get one on Croc almost immediately after. Bruce, unsurprisingly, slipped a disk again after being thrown at Superman by Grodd, who tried to catch him but was thrown off by the sheer force of the throw. The total number of superficial cuts and bruises were enough for Alfred to chew them all out at once while stitching Dick up. 

It was a goddamned miracle any of them were actually still in one piece after these kinds of battles. Bruce was getting closer and closer to full paralysis if he slipped a disk one more time, and Damian nearly stopped breathing after Livewire shot him full of electricity. Dick and Cass were almost crushed by debris and the save by Kid Flash and Impulse was too close for comfort. The worst part, arguably, was Tim getting yote off of a roof. 

Tim wondered how far this conquest of theirs would go before everyone stayed dead.

He knew that the Bats, as well as many of the other heroes, tended to not stay dead. Jason came back, as did Damian and Steph, Kon and Bart, even Superman after Doomsday got through with him. Bruce and Dick, technically, didn’t die, but tomato-tomato. Tim remembered when Dick told him about Barry and Donna’s deaths, Wally getting lost in the Speedforce, Hal getting consumed by Parallax, and everyone he loved dying again when the Black Lanterns attacked.

What if one day, their collective luck ran out? What if one day, their borrowed time debts were recalled?

Wouldn’t Tim be alone then?

Tim wiped his icy and wet hand on his sweats as he tossed the melting icepack into the sink on the counter nearby. He stood up slowly, throwing the tissues into the bin and going up into the manor. Bruce was still up, nursing a bit of scotch with Alfred as he passed through the grandfather clock entrance. When he went up to his room, he heard the TV playing some re-runs in Dick’s room and soft violins in Damian’s room. Cass’ room was silent, but he could hear soft snores.

He’d prefer not to think about losing his friends and family (again) for the time being. Maybe if the day came, he would confront it. But for now, he thanked his lucky stars for caring about the lives of his loved ones when they themselves didn’t bother much and for bringing them all back in mostly one to two pieces. 

Tim changed his mind while climbing into his sheets. He didn’t like the silence of a post-mission rest. He liked the ambient sounds and signs of tired, broken, and exhausted life.

**Author's Note:**

> This, like Human, isn't really dark. I wanted to show more of Tim's lighter character. He's a genius, determined and resolute, and cares immensely for those he loves and trusts. He's fundamentally the Robin that pulled Batman out of his post-Death in the Family depression. But he's got a lot of survivor's guilt eating him away inside. I'll delve into him more eventually, I've got an idea in the works.
> 
> (also: we're going to completely ignore the whole "Drake" situation going on because let's be honest-that's junk and the suit is ugly). 
> 
> Constructive Criticism is always appreciated!


End file.
